


equilibriuM

by 8ucky8arnes



Series: fragMents [11]
Category: The Gifted - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Gen, John and Lorna are Basically Siblings, Season 2 spoilers, mentions of bipolar disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 12:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17182883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8ucky8arnes/pseuds/8ucky8arnes
Summary: “What the hell are you doing here, Fade? You’re going to lead them right to us!”He just shook his head, “He won’t be following me.”His tone brought her up short, Lorna not liking the chill it sent through her.





	equilibriuM

**Author's Note:**

> Not entirely sure where this came from, but it ties into phantoMs as far as to how Jace subdued John. There is one vague mention of Lorna's Bipolar Disorder so if I got anything wrong I apologize! I hope you all enjoy!

Lorna barely registered the knock on the door, the “Enter” coming out of her mouth almost automatically. She was expecting Andy or even Esme, but was surprised to find Fade limping into the room, pain twisting his features and she could sense the metal staples in his leg as well as note the myriad of bruises covering him.

Lorna frowned as she slowly got to her feet. There was only one person she knew who could actually see Fade when he went invisible… “What the hell are you doing here, Fade? You’re going to lead them right to us!”

He just shook his head, “He won’t be following me.”

His tone brought her up short, Lorna not liking the chill it sent through her. She realized then that he’d only said he, not they. Something had happened…something bad, and opposing sides or not, Lorna didn’t like the thought of John getting hurt because that had to be the only way he didn’t immediately track Fade.

She knew John’s stubbornness like she knew her own, knew the lengths he would go to accomplishing a task he’d set his mind on. He was near unstoppable, but with the right weapons and approach, it was a possibility. “What happened?”

“He and Marcos got me at the clinic and we ran when we heard sirens.” Fade shifted his weight with a wince, “But then a truckload of Purifiers tore into the alley and began shooting. He told us he would hold them off while we got away.”

Lorna clenched her jaw. “And what else?”

“Marcos and Clarice fixed me up. Told me to tell you what happened to John.”

She glanced out the windows, seeing the pillars of smoke that had only seemed to multiply in last couple hours. Lorna forced the sounds of Marcos’ grief from her mind, the anguish in John’s voice as he pleaded with her to just _talk to him_ …

Another knock on the door, Sage barging in seconds later.

The woman looked between the two with wide eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been listening to the scanners and I stumbled on the frequency used by the Purifiers.” She pulled in a ragged breath, “There were reports of a mutant captured outside of the Community of Mercy Clinic. Jace Turner just confirmed that the mutant apprehended goes by the moniker of Thunderbird.”

Lorna stiffened while all the metal rattled and she let out a long breath, everything calming seconds later. She felt Fade and Sage’s eyes on her, waiting for a response…for her to tell them what she was going to do.

She knew what Reeva would say, what Phoebe and Sophie would say. Esme was a wild card, but she could unintentionally tip off her sisters…she shook her head. The telepath had stayed back during the Creed heist to be with Dawn, because she herself had trusted the woman. “Sage, could you keep monitoring the channel, find CCTV footage, _anything_ that could narrow down a location?”

“Yeah.”

“Fade, go with her?”

He nodded, the two leaving the room moments later.

She turned to stare back out the window, gaze drifting in the direction of the apartment complex the Mutant Underground called home. Lorna wondered if they would return there with everything going on, but it wasn’t like Marcos and Clarice had a lot of places left where they could lay low.

A singular set of heels stopped at the door, before a light knock sounded.

_Esme._

She opened the door with a wave of her hand without even turning around.

“You seem…troubled.”

Lorna snorted, “Did my thoughts tell you that?”

“No.” Esme came to stand at her side, “I just know you.”

She glanced at the telepath, who turned to look out the window with a sadness in her expression reminiscent of when she’d spoken of her other sisters, the ones that hadn’t made it out…Lorna swallowed, pushing the images as far down as she could. No need to bring that reminder up so near the telepath.

“So what is it, Lorna? What’s bothering you?”

“A lot of things. Want a list?”

She huffed, “Is something going on with Marcos?”

Lorna went rigid. “No.”

“The Mutant Underground then?”

She slanted her eyes at the telepath, the metal in the room reacting to her change of mood once again before she tampered it down. Esme didn’t seem particularly concerned or surprised, but that didn’t mean much… “What’s with the third-degree?”

“I’m not going to say anything Lorna. You can trust me.”

Lorna turned to face her completely, trying to see behind those pale blue eyes. Trying to see if telling her now would help or hinder, if Esme would see that the possibility of getting rid of Jace Turner once and for all was enough to keep the Inner Circle from doubting her loyalties…

“Sage might have a location on Jace Turner.”

Her expression soured in mutual upset. “You want to go after him.”

“He’s the de facto leader of the Purifiers.”

Esme raised a single brow, “And?”

“Shouldn’t that be a good enough reason?”

The telepath softened her expression like she already knew, “Yes, but why _now_?”

“Because…” the words were there on the tip of her tongue, but they still felt…trapped somehow. Lorna drew the green headpiece to her hands and ran her fingers along the edges, aware of Esme’s gaze on her as she tried to assemble her thoughts. She closed her eyes and sighed, “He has John.”

Esme hummed.

Lorna tightened her grip on the headpiece. “What? No questioning my loyalties?”

“He’s important to you…yes?”

She let out a long breath, “I spent three years with him, building the Underground network. We always had each other’s back, no matter what.” Lorna didn’t voice all the times he’d helped her through both mania and depression or the rare moments she’d catch that thousand yard stare in his gaze that was usually accompanied by bruised knuckles. He’d helped her find balance despite his own problems and she couldn’t put those feelings into words. “He’s the closest thing to a brother that I’ve had.”

“How long have the Purifiers had him?”

Lorna looked over in surprise, “Couple of hours I think. Why…you gonna help?”

“I can keep the others off your back.”

“Really? Even your sisters?”

“They’ll see the benefits of having Jace Turner gone. If you happen to help a fellow mutant, well…” she shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips, “Reeva won’t be back ‘til later tonight anyways.”

“Thank you, Esme.”

She inclined her head before walking out of the room.

Headpiece in hand, she went and knocked on Andy’s door, listening for the grumbled _come in_ before she cracked it open. Her heart ached at the sadness radiating off of him, knowing there wasn’t anything more that could help that except (maybe) time… “I have a mission…if you’re up for it.”

He didn’t glance up from his tablet, “What are we going after now?”

“Jace Turner.”

He lifted his head slowly, “Really?”

“Really. He and the Purifiers took John.”

Surprise flickered across his eyes, “…does Reeva know?”

“No. Sage is getting a location now so…you coming with?”

Andy shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

He stayed in step with Lorna as they made their way to Sage’s room and her wall of monitors. She couldn’t kept up with the rapidly changing images on the screen or the occasional line of coding, but quietly sat down at the end of the bed as the flurry of typing stopped.

“I found some spotty footage from a camera in the alley behind the clinic from the building right next to it.” Her expression was slightly frazzled, her voice wavering as she continued, “There’s no audio, but you need to see this.”

Lorna stood, coming stand over Sage’s shoulder, watching the grainy footage of John shield Marcos from shots being fired off screen, one bullet taking down Fade. She wasn’t surprised when John shoved Marcos ahead of him before turning and going full speed toward the truck barreling down the alley…

The truck ran into him, almost like it had hit a wall, smoke coming from the rear tires as the driver pressed down on the gas. But even he couldn’t hold them back forever and she winced as the truck finally struck John, pinning him between it and a dumpster, the latter bending around his body as they suddenly sped forward. Lorna could almost hear the impact and his cry of pain as he slumped forward onto the hood…

The driver side door opened, Jace Turner getting out and slowly approaching him.

Lorna clenched her jaw as he yanked John’s head back and slammed it into the hood and it took a lot for her to keep her abilities from frying the computers as she watched the truck pull back far enough for John to fall onto his hands and knees, the men kicking him until he collapsed onto his side.

John looked up and spoke, his words clearly meant to be inflammatory as Turner pulled out his gun, aimed it at John’s head and fired twice.

Her hands gripped the headpiece painfully as John clutched at his head, remembering the debilitating migraines that would grip him for days when he went into sensory overload from something as simple as a sunny day. And as they pulled a black hood over his head immediately, there was no doubt that Turner knew _exactly_ what he was doing…

The room was silent as they processed what they’d just seen.

A big part of John that had first drawn her to him was his unending faith in humanity, faith that one day all mutants would be loved instead of feared. That this endless cycle of war, too much like the ones he’d fought overseas, would eventually end but now…

Lorna knew that, like her, he had his own darkness, his own demons to fight and she didn’t want to think of what would happen if he lost that hope…if that strength finally failed him…what it would turn him into…

Lorna‘s voice was flat with anger, “Where did they take him?”

Sage frowned, “That I don’t know, but I’m working on it.”

She glanced at Andy, the young man looking at the screen with an expression she was sure mirrored her own. This wasn’t just about justice for all mutants targeted and killed by the Purifiers or even sending the world a message. This was revenge now, pure and simple.

In this she knew that Marcos and Clarice would feel the same.

She swiped a burner phone of the counter and slipped it into her pocket, “Andy, come with me. Sage, call me when you get a location.”

He frowned, “Where are we going?”

“To talk to some old friends.”

Fade snorted at the words.

She shot a halfhearted glare at the man, but left the room with Andy and took the elevator down to the garage. Lorna laid the headpiece down in the backseat while Andy slid into the passenger seat and started the ignition, tearing out of the building and towards the apartments.

Lorna was thankful for the young man’s presence, knowing he was struggling with the thought of seeing his family again but coming anyways. Seeing the others, especially Marcos, so soon after taking Dawn away would no doubt be hard and confrontational in the least, but she owed John that much.

He’d pulled her out own her hell so many time before she’d met Marcos.

It was time she returned the favor...


End file.
